TIGHT SQUEEZE: Notre Dame's Luke Harangody, back from a knee injury, defends Seton Hall's Jeff Robinson during the Irish's 68-56 victory last niight in the second round of the Big East Tournament at the Garden. Photo: Anthony J. Causi

Seton Hall’s dreams of the Big Dance likely died on the Garden court last night, killed by Luke Harangody’s dominance and the Pirates’ own dead legs.

Now, after last night’s 68-56 second-round Big East tourney loss to Notre Dame, the Pirates (19-12) can only sit around on Sunday and pray for an NCAA bid — but will likely have to settle for an NIT invite.

It was a costly defeat for the Hall, which desperately had been chasing the 20-win plateau. Since the league got its automatic bid in 1982-83, all but three of the 123 teams that had reached that all-important standard were invited to the NCAA tourney. But the Pirates have come up one victory short.

“We just plain and simple couldn’t make a shot, had no legs and we were beat up,” said Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez. “It was the most tired we looked the entire year. We just did not [have it].”

The Hall looked like a team playing its fourth game in six days. The Pirates let Notre Dame (22-10) shoot 69.6 percent in the second half, and Harangody maul them for 20 points and 10 rebounds in his second appearance — and first extended action — since bruising his knee against the Hall on Feb. 11.

“Going into this game, especially the [regular-season finale], my confidence wasn’t at the level,” said Harangody, who will lead the Irish into tonight’s quarterfinal against second-seeded Pitt. “Now I started to get a little bit of swagger I had before the injury, a little more of the confidence.”

Meanwhile, the Hall saw Jeremy Hazell shoot 5 of 16 as his back tightened up. Point guard Jordan Theodore, who had scored season-highs of 18, 19 and 21 over his last three games, mustered just five points on 1-of-9 shooting.

“This is the biggest game of my young career, and I didn’t bring it tonight,” said Theodore. “I felt bad, and this loss goes on myself. . . . There’s no excuses. I don’t know what went wrong, but I just didn’t bring it.”

The Hall led 15-8 before Notre Dame seized command with a 16-2 run. As soon as the Irish figured out how to break the Pirates’ press and hit some shots, they slowed the game to their tempo and turned the tide.

A 7-0 spurt to open the second half — capped by Tory Jackson basket — doubled the margin to 14 and ended the drama . . . and probably the Pirates’ NCAA hopes.

“I think we should be on the board. All this talk about the bubble has burst and now we’re out, I don’t think people know what they’re talking about. I don’t think they have a clue,” said Gonzalez, who admitted later “Yeah, we came up a little short. . . . You never know, something crazy could happen. I doubt it. You never know what happens if they take nine [from the Big East]. Probably not.”